Those of us at the Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) who knew and worked with Thomas Winston Fookes are deeply saddened by his passing. Tom passed away peacefully on August 2 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tom was one of our first Forces of Nature and sat with Huey Johnson for a Skype interview on March 5 2012, where he talked about his greatest accomplishments as a green planner: he was one of the chief architects of the New Zealand Resource Management Act http://theforcesofnature.com/movies/tom-fookes/ and a go-to strategist on issues concerning human settlements around

Tom was a passionate practitioner and teacher, and part of a tight knit network of RRI’s green plan advisors from New Zealand, the Netherlands, other European states, Canada, and Mexico City. Here is a link to one of his videos about green planning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DGBBAeu3bY.

His many colleagues, students, family and friends the world over will sorely miss him. Peggy Lauer, who directed RRI’s Green Plan Program in the 1990s and who worked closely with Tom, wrote a touching elegy that can be found on the RRI website.: http://rri.org/blog/?p=828

We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Susan, their daughters Emma and Catherine, their son, Ian, and their grandchildren present and future who will grow up knowing of Tom’s integrity, intelligence, humor, and love of them and their country.

“If you want to bring about real, sustained change, you have to constantly be aware that you are not just taking care of yourself.” Robert Redford

One goal of our Forces of Nature video series is to inspire individuals to take concrete actions to help to create a sustainable world; a world which we will be proud to pass along to future generations.

Recently, at Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, we shared the Forces of Nature website videos with an AP environmental science class. We were moved by the energy of the students and their interest in many of the same concerns our elders faced in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. The stories we share began in a different era with passionate young people who were active in their communities and beyond. We hope that the elders’ stories will inspire today’s young people and that they will join in to help us all to confront the environmental problems of today and become the leaders that we need in the next wave of environmentalism.

Today, we have a couple of links for you and a couple of requests. First, our requests: We would like you to watch more — and share our videos with your friends and family. Please take a moment to comment on one of our short films or blogs. This will help us to increase the visibility and interactivity of our site. Finally, you will find in the About page, a link to a form that you can fill out so you can nominate an elder (someone at least 60) who has made an extraordinary effort to protect or enhance our common environment.

Now for the links: the first link is to the Redford Center, which is known for producing high quality and visually stunning films with positive environmental messages that align with our economical vision of activism and commitment to our environment and communities. The Redford Center has posted a trailer and some short videos in their series, The Art of Activism.

These videos examine the moment in young people’s lives when they are moved to act in extraordinary ways. The Redford series clearly shows how the emerging generations are making a difference today. Check it out! Click on the Art of Activism above.

The second link is to Island Press, which publishes first-rate books on the environment.

They have expanded their environmental reach by partnering with Treehugger, the US Green Building Council, the California Academy of Sciences, the Wildlands Network, Town Hall Seattle, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, and the Society for Ecological Restoration. For instance, Island Press, in their partnership with the Society of Ecological Restoration, is sponsoring a video contest with a $500 scholarship for students and early career professionals who will create a video no longer than 4 minutes on the topic “Why Restore?” If you are interested in entering the contest, click on the words “Why Restore” above for details on how to apply.

We have compiled a list of some powerful interviews in one of our “play lists” that can be found on the Gallery page using the Theme search for Earth Day. Or, click on this word -“Earth Day” and you will find links to some inspiring and informative videos. You may also click on any name in our blogs to go directly to that video. Please do not be limited by watching only these videos, other important themes can be found by using our search boxes on the Gallery Page.

Here are a few questions to ponder about Earth Day:

How did Earth Day arise and how did it change our world after 1970? Former

Republican and House Representative Pete McCloskey, was actively involved in creating the first Earth Day in Washington, D.C.:

“Young people getting involved in the political process has always been a kind of a leadership in rebellion, whether it was women rights, human rights or environmental rights; it’s always started with the idealism of young people.”

Why is Earth Day observed on only one day each year? Larry Merculieff an Aleut Elder:

“You know, it’s not like we reserve certain days or times to express our spirituality, it is threaded throughout all of our cultures with everything that we do. It didn’t matter what it was, it’s just there all the time.”

How does today’s environmental movement relate to other movements such as civil rights, gay rights, women rights, and the occupy movement? Attorney Vera Marcus:

“In some way, all of these movements to me are related. Fundamentally, the environmental movement is the Mother Movement because it concerns the very air that we breathe, the sun that shines.”

How does one person make a difference? Why is one tree so important? Listen to Andy Lipkis:

“What does a tree do? We asked the U.S. Forest Service Research Lab to calculate the water capture volume in the root zone and the canopy of a tree, of a big oak tree. That’s the state’s tree. So it turns out that a huge oak, 100-foot diameter canopy that’s been dropping leaves and twigs for hundreds of years making mulch, correlates this amazing space underneath. It’s a sponge. It’s a tank. It’s the water treatment plant. It’s how water has moved through the ecosystem since the earth was born; you know, there’s no new water.”

What can we learn about ecology and activism? Listen to Randy Hayes:

“Ecology doesn’t study an individual this or that but it studies the relationship, the ecology of relationships of a system. And so, if your activism is meant to promote systemic change, the first simple question is what system are you talking about changing?”

What can we learn about the environment and public health? Virologist, and professor Charlie Calisher; attorney and toxic waste exposer, Ted Smith; and professor at UC San Francisco School of Nursing, tobacco industry warrior Ruth Malone share their thoughts on environmental health issues. Powerful.

How did a physician change the fate of the small coastal town of Bolinas in the west Marin Headlands near San Francisco California? Dr. Marty Griffin’s story of how he took action to create the west Marin that we enjoy:

“I knew that the key to saving west Marin was to stop freeways and they still had another freeway up their sleeve from San Rafael, over the hills to Fairfax and to Olema and then up the coast. My strategy was just to quietly buy anything we could in the path of progress and I saw that the key parcel on the whole east side of Tomalas Bay was Clifford Conley’s 10-acre parcel that you call Cypress Grove that stuck out into the bay.”

Thank you for joining us. There are many ways you can celebrate Earth Day every day. Here are a few ideas:

• Contribute your time, or money to support a project within your community or support a favorite environmental organization;
• Choose to learn more about our natural environment through local citizen programs such as the Environmental Forum of Marin, or by pursuing an educational degree in the sciences, math, social sciences, geography, health, law, and many other fields of study, including technology;
• Vote! Understand our democratic process and participate;
• In spending/investing your money, consider who and what it supports and whether their ethics match yours, decide how you will spend your money for environmental good.
• Arrange a bequest to an environmental organization as your personal legacy;
• Most of all be curious, go outside and share the wonder of our world with a child.